Behind the Scenes at the White House Holiday Tour 2014 #WHHolidays

So what happens when you receive a last minute invitation to visit the White House? Your awesome husband turns his schedule upside down so you can go. Who turns down an invitation to the White House? Not I! So off I went on the White House holiday tour!

Yesterday, I and other social media influencers got an insider’s view of the White House holiday decorations, dubbed the White House Holiday Social. We got to meet the super creative people involved in making the magic of Christmas happen at the White House. I even made a craft at the White House!

Did you know that the White House team starts planning for the holidays in March? First Lady Michelle Obama wanted a theme that would appeal to children. So for the White House Holiday Tour 2014, the theme is Children’s Winter Wonderland. I hope you’re ready for some photo overload, because it takes a lot of people to deck the halls at our President’s home.

First of all the decorations were beautiful. Each room is lovingly designed by Chief White House Floral Designer Laura Dowling (above) and her team. There’s so many details on each tree, each wreath, and mantle–even the walls! Laura, her team, and many volunteers put up and take down the decorations every year.

If you’re lucky enough to tour the White House during the holiday, don’t rush through it. The East Visitor Entrance and Landing’s decorations honor America’s troops. While you’re there, you can write a note thanking service members and send them holiday wishes. On the tree are star ornaments honoring heroes who made the ultimate sacrifice for our country.

As you walk through, you read about each room and its themed decor in the tour book you receive right as you start the White House holiday tour. You can download a PDF of the holiday tour book too.

Of course I had to take a photo of the gingerbread version of the White House in the State Dining Room. If you look closely, you can spy the First Family’s pets Bo and Sunny in front.

There’s beautiful artwork in each room, all done by volunteers. I loved this intricate, snowy diorama cut out of paper.

A major attraction were the robotic versions of Bo and Sunny. The life sized robots were made of hundreds of satin rosettes. Both of their heads moved (see Bo-bot and Sunny-bot in action here). We learned from Stefanie Santoso, creator of the Bo-bot and Sunny-bot, about her trial and error process to find the type of motor that could move the heavy rosette heads and could safely run for hours at a time. The White House is a big proponent of the Maker Movement and even held a competition for 3D printed ornaments (which are seen throughout the tour).

We had the opportunity to chat with many behind the scenes folks, including Pantea Faed (Deputy Associate Director in the First Lady’s Social Office), Pat Blair (White House Chief Calligrapher), Ellie Schafer (Special Assistant to the President and Director of the White House Visitors Office), Kori Schulman (Director of Online Engagement), and Nate Lubin (Director of the Office of Digital Strategy). I learned so much about the White House and all the planning and work involved during the holiday season.

I almost forgot to show you the craft we made! Laura Dowling and her team taught us how to make a Bo Ho Ho craft. We made these super cute bows with Bo & Sunny wrapping paper. Did you know you can download the design and print out your own Bo & Sunny paper? You can also download printable Bo & Sunny gift tags too. (Just scroll down to “Decor, Recipes, & Crafts You Can Make at Home.”)

Thanks to this White House Holiday Tour, I’ve become a wee bit obsessed with the dogs, Bo and Sunny. Look at this adorable Bo ornament you can purchase at the gift shop. I’m kicking myself for not buying one.

What a wonderful holiday gift to be invited to the White House. Thank you!